Until The Very End
by stefanie437
Summary: Harry has been in some frightening situations, but he's never been as nervous as he is on his wedding day. And Ron wants to be there for Harry, but he's too distracted by Hermione...


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. **  
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_Until The Very End_

The little garden was bustling with activity. People were rushing about in all directions, clamoring to get everything in place and ready. An enormous tent stood at the center of the yard, it's peak almost as tall as The Burrow itself. An owl suddenly appeared and landed gracefully on the tent's peak, a mouse in its beak.

"VICTOIRE!" shouted a voice. "Didn't I ask you to keep your owl inside? Get her down from there!"

Somewhere, a door slammed, voices shouted, and the owl abandoned her perch with a soft _hoot_.

All this commotion was barely noticeable, though, to the wizard pacing back and forth across the garden. Harry Potter's head was crammed so full of thoughts that he barely noticed when the owl swooped down, flying just inches above his head. His pacing did not miss a beat.

Harry had faced many dangerous things in his life. As an infant, he came face to face with the darkest wizard of all time, and lived to tell the tale. He survived encounters with giant spiders, werewolves, and even dragons, only to face Lord Voldemort once more and somehow survive again. But this? This was somehow more terrifying than any of those situations had been.

Suddenly, Harry heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

"Harry. _Harry." _The voice came from somewhere above him, and he looked up just in time to see a flash of red hair disappear behind a curtain. Something that resembled a butterfly fluttered down toward him from the open window. Upon closer inspection, it _was _a butterfly, but one that was made from a simple sheet of paper. It was a lovely piece of magic.

_Harry, _it read, _how are your feet? Toasty warm I hope? I can't wait to see you. Love, Ginny. _

Harry's heart skipped a beat. _This is why I'm doing this. _He reminded himself. _I love her. _

"Hey, mate," came a voice from behind. Harry, startled, stuffed the paper into his pocket. "You ready to get married?"

"Ready," he answered Ron, glancing up once more at the window.

Ron stood at the end of the long aisle, facing the audience. Neville was on his right, fiddling with a button on his jacket. Ron was fidgeting quietly, not sure of how he should feel. He searched the crowd, observing all the family and friends gathered in the tent. His eyes stopped on Hermione, standing with Luna at the entrance to the tent, ready to enter in front of Ginny. His breath caught at how beautiful she looked. He felt a smile come to his lips; lately he couldn't help smiling when he looked at her. Then he saw his mother in the front row, chatting with Hagrid, who was sitting behind her on the magically reinforced seats that he finally remembered to use. Bill was holding hands with Fleur, looking as in-love as ever. Charlie, always the bachelor, looked relaxed and at home amongst his family. Percy, Ron was not surprised to notice, was lecturing his children on proper manners. And, of course, his brother George was busy teaching his young son how to play pranks on the other children. He caught a piece of the conversation "—be sure to use the proper wand motion, and their eyebrows will grow to twice their size…" Ron shook his head, thinking that Fred's namesake is well on his way to surpassing his uncle's reputation. His eyes stopped on the empty seat next to George—the one that will always remain empty for his brother Fred. He felt the familiar twinge of sadness before reminding himself that today was about joy and new beginnings. Now was not the time to focus on the past. He knew that Fred would be happy on this day, and that he should be, too. He looked away and faced the back of the tent, just as the music started.

The entire audience looked behind them in unison. Ron watched Hermione coming toward him, and he suddenly pictured this same moment again, but with Hermione in the white dress. His stomach flip-flopped at the thought, and he closed his eyes for a second to refocus. He clapped Harry on the back, and he saw him smile. Harry never took his eyes off Ginny.

Ginny looked beautiful. Her hair rippled slightly in the breeze, held back by one large lily flower. No one could take their eyes off of her, but she had eyes only for Harry. And her smile was dazzling.

Ron looked away from his sister for a moment and gazed at Hermione. Her eyes were full of tears and starting to look rather red, but he was as taken aback by her beauty as ever. He thought again of her in a white dress, and he knew right then and there that he wanted to marry her. Sure, he had thought about it before, but now he was sure. Now, he would act on it.

Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from Ginny as she glided down the aisle. He looked right into her eyes, trying to say everything he felt with that one look. He knew he could never express in words what he was feeling at that moment, but he hoped that the way he looked at her now would say it all. It took all of his self control not to run down the aisle at full speed and grab her in his arms. He noticed then the lily in her hair, and he felt a pang of longing for his parents. It hurt that they couldn't be there to share this day, but he reminded himself of what Sirius had once told him: "The ones that love us never really leave us." He put his hand over his heart for a moment, remembering that they will always be a part of him. He had a sudden surge of appreciation for Ginny for wearing the flower as her own way of honoring Lily Potter.

He waited patiently for her to reach him, and after what felt like an eternity, Mr. Weasley placed Ginny's hand firmly into his. And suddenly, he felt like he was finally home. He looked away from Ginny for just one moment, long enough to find Ron standing beside him. He met Ron's eyes, and gave him a little nod. Ron nodded back with a smile. Satisfied with this sign of encouragement, Harry turned back to Ginny. He heard the minister reading the traditional vows they had chosen, with one exception: instead of "until death do us part," they repeated "until the very end."

All the nerves he felt earlier had gone. He was home.

Ron watched Harry and Ginny share their first dance together. He was finally reunited with Hermione, who grabbed his hand as Harry spun Ginny gracefully across the dance floor. He gave her hand a little squeeze, and he felt her squeeze back, her eyes never looking away from Harry and Ginny. Ron was a bit shocked at how well the two were dancing; he thought that perhaps they had taken dance lessons or had enchanted their dancing shoes. But, perhaps, they were just too happy to be nervous and this lack of nerves contributed to their very natural and carefree movement. Either way, Ron was slightly jealous of Harry's continual ability to be in the limelight without letting his nerves get the best of him. He made a mental note to ask Harry for advice when it was _his _turn to get married. The idea of dancing with Hermione in front of his entire family scared him to death, but he couldn't deny that the idea of being married to Hermione thrilled him. As more couples joined the dance floor, Ron stood and pulled Hermione up with him.

"Come on," he said bravely. "Dance with me?"

He led her out onto the dance floor before pulling her in close. He held her tightly to him, and saw Ginny look over her shoulder at them and smile.

"Don't step on Hermione's feet too much, big brother," she smirked.

"Nice to see marriage hasn't softened you too much," he replied as Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Another, but slower, song came on, and Ron focused once more on Hermione. He remembered his earlier resolution to propose to her, and his heart began to thump wildly out of control at the thought.

_It has to be at just the right moment, _he thought. _I'll have to plan something really huge, really special. _

He gulped and tried to push his nerves to the back of his mind. He felt a wave of emotions pulse through him as Hermione looked up at him, beaming. She stood on her toes and kissed him very softly. They had stopped moving on the dance floor for a moment, lost in each other. Then, he swept her up and spun her around, and a laugh escaped as she threw her head back. He was lost in the moment and he suddenly heard himself say it:

"Hermione, Marry me."

As Harry and Ginny spun around the dance floor, Harry couldn't help but be glad that the wedding would finally be over and that he could now start his new life with Ginny. Planning the wedding had surely been more than he had bargained for; dodging questions about napkin colors and flower arrangements had left Harry wishing more than once that they could elope. He knew that Ginny wanted, and deserved, a wedding with her family, so he managed to put those feelings aside and go through with this. After all, what trouble was a wedding compared to fighting and killing Voldemort? All joking aside, Harry knew that he very well might not have lived to see his own wedding—and he felt extremely lucky that he did. Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss on the cheek, reveling in that thought.

He really has never been this happy before. His life is finally mortal danger-free; he is about to start a new life with a beautiful woman he is mad for; and his two best friends are _finally _openly together and blissfully happy. He glanced over to them now, and saw Ron spinning Hermione as they laughed. Then he noticed something change. Ron had just said something, and now he looked as though he might vomit; Hermione looked completely shocked and almost desperately panicked, as though someone had told her she had failed an important exam. Harry started to worry for a moment, trying to figure out how Ron could have possibly ruined what had looked like a fantastically happy moment. Then, as quickly as their expressions had changed in the first place, the biggest smiles stretched across his friends' faces. Harry vaguely remembered them sharing a similar look once before, several years ago—right after they had kissed for the first time. It had looked like they had been hit on the head by a bludger.

Ginny noticed Harry's distraction and followed his gaze to Ron and Hermione.

"What's that all about, do you reckon?"

"I'm not sure," he answered slowly as Ron and Hermione kissed passionately. "But it looks like they've finally gotten over that fear of snogging in public, doesn't it?"

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Ron regretted it. He had wanted it to be planned, special, romantic. He wanted to kick himself for letting his emotions overpower his brain.

_I don't even have a bloody ring to give her! _He was shouting at himself in his head. _She deserves better. _

He felt as though he was going to be sick. His immediate thought was to pass off his slip as a cough or a sneeze, but the panicked look on Hermione's face made it painfully obvious that she heard him very clearly.

He was about to say he was joking when Hermione whispered, "Of course I'll marry you, Ron Weasley. Of course."

"Really?" he asked.

"Always the tone of surprise."

Her smile was as grand as he'd ever seen it, and he felt his own smile match hers.

And then she kissed him, and he was on top of the world.

Harry sat down next to Ginny as the rest of their guests took their seats. Harry heard a loud crash come from somewhere behind him, and he turned to see Ron, looking embarrassed, attempting to hide the broken glass with his foot as Hermione graciously magicked it away. Harry suddenly felt horrible for Ron. He should have known that a best man speech would be difficult for him. Harry could never understand how Ron, who was so brave in many situations where his life was in mortal danger, could let his nerves get the best of him when no one's life depended on the outcome.

Ron loosened his tie as he made his way up to the stage, stumbling slightly on the steps.

"Er, hello?" he gulped. "I'm…um…Ron Weasley…"

Harry cringed for a second, but tried to look encouraging, for Ron's sake.

Then, thankfully, Hermione stood up and made her way to the stage to stand beside Ron.

She addressed the audience, "Harry may be Ron's best friend, but he's mine too. I feel it's appropriate to have a best-man _and_ best-woman speech. Don't you think, Harry?"

Harry nodded, grinning. He was happy to notice that Ron looked visibly more relaxed with Hermione standing next to him.

Ron was extremely nervous about the speech. Moments ago, his face had begun to physically hurt from all the smiling he was doing. But now, he was feeling quite serious. He was most nervous about expressing his feelings to his best friend and his little sister—he never had been good at that.

After breaking a glass, he made his way to the stage. He began to feel like his tie was a bit like a noose, so he yanked at it to try to loosen it, but this caused him to stumble up the steps.

To his relief, his fiancée (how amazing it was for him to think that word!) joined him on the stage. Her presence was like a Patronus; he felt protected, like nothing could hurt him while she was there.

Hermione was still speaking to Harry.

"I always knew that you two would be together," she addressed the bride and groom, looking rather serious. "I see the way you look at her, Harry-the way you brighten up when she enters a room. I always knew that what you have is real, and that you would find a way to be together in the end. You're my best friend, Harry, and I think we can all agree that you deserve very much to be happy."

She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, and looked over to Ron, as if to cue him to say his bit.

"Well," he began, "I don't really think it's possible to put into words what our friendship has been like." He paused briefly, and in the momentary silence, a soft giggle came from somewhere in the crowd. Then, it grew a bit louder. It was Ginny, and now she was laughing almost uncontrollably.

To Ron's horror, others joined in, including Harry. Ron was completely confused—what was so funny?

Ron's eyebrows had grown to twice their normal size.

George attempted to explain, but was laughing too hard to speak coherently.

"My…son…hex…brows…" Fred II, looking quite devious, quickly hid his wand behind his back.

Ron looked hopelessly toward Hermione, and she quickly whispered in his ear what had happened. His ears grew very red as he whispered back, begging her to fix them. Once she had them back to normal and the laughter died away, Ron faced the guests once more.

"I told you my best man speech would be unforgettable," he aimed at Ginny. "I win the bet."

Ginny smiled, pretending to roll her eyes. "Well, get on with it, then."

Ron cleared his throat, and tried once more to be serious. "Honestly, I feel like I've already been through a lifetime of adventures with you, Harry, but I know its just the beginning. I have always felt as if you were not only a best friend to me, but also a brother. You have always felt like part of our family, Harry, but now…you are. I love you both."

Harry nodded, unable to find the right words to respond.

Ron thought for a second about saying something about his and Hermione's engagement, but he exchanged a quick look with Hermione and decided that it would be their little secret for now. After all, today was about Harry and Ginny.

He raised his glass to the happy couple, and everyone followed.

"Until the very end," he said.

"Until the very end," everyone repeated. "Until the very end."


End file.
